Australia entered Thursday night's Tournament of Nations opener 0-25-2 all-time against the United States women's national team.
But thanks to a 67th-minute scoring strike from Tameka Butt, Australia was able to exorcise long-held demons and capture a 1-0 win against the USWNT at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington.
Australia was the only team to capture an outright win Thursday, as Japan and Brazil played to a 1-1 draw in the evening's first clash.
Thursday's clash was the United States' first in a tournament setting since it finished last in the four-team table at March's SheBelieves Cup, but a handful of recent wins over Russia, Norway and Sweden suggested Jill Ellis' side would have the Matildas' number early.